An assessment of markets for Central American dry beans in USA ethnic communities.

This paper presentsinformation about the U.S. ethnic market for dry beans ofCentral American origin, describes the potential opportunitiesand constraints that these four countries face in expandingbean exports, and provides information to policymakers andpotential exporters in these countries regard...

This paper presentsinformation about the U.S. ethnic market for dry beans ofCentral American origin, describes the potential opportunitiesand constraints that these four countries face in expandingbean exports, and provides information to policymakers andpotential exporters in these countries regarding ways to relaxthese constraints. No study has been carried out to describethe potential ethnic demand in the USA for Central Americandry beans. USA Census Bureau data were analyzed toidentify the states and cities with the highest concentration ofpeople from these countries. Five cities were identified andvisited in order to: a) obtain data on the availability of beansin retail stores, b) survey Central American consumers ontheir dry beans preferences, c) survey Central Americanorganizations, importers, and distributors to understand thedynamics of the dry bean trade. Traders in Miami are alsoimporting dry beans from Honduras. Central American drybeans sell at a price 25-50% higher than USA beans of similarmarket classes. Furthermore, people of Central Americanorigin have a strong preference for dry beans from theircountry of origin.